athwart

The story

1. Proto-Indo-European · derived from*terkʷ-“to spin; to turn”
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*þerh-
3. Proto-Germanic · derived from*þweraną“to stir; to swirl; to turn”
4. Proto-Germanic · derived from*þwerhaz“cross; adverse”
5. Old Norse · derived fromþvert“across, athwart”
6. Middle English · inherited fromathwert
7. English todayathwart

From Late Middle English athwert, athirt, from a- (prefix meaning ‘in the direction of, toward’) + thwert (“crosswise; (cooking) across the grain”, adverb). Thwert is derived from thwert (“crosswise, transverse; counter, opposing; contrary, obstinate, stubborn”, adjective), borrowed from Old Norse þvert (“across, athwart”), originally the neuter form of þverr (“across, transverse”), from Proto-Germanic *þwerhaz (“cross; adverse”) (altered or influenced by Proto-Germanic *þweraną (“to stir; to swirl; to turn”)), from Proto-Germanic *þerh-, probably from Proto-Indo-European *terkʷ- (“to spin; to turn”). The English word is analysable as a- (prefix meaning ‘in the direction of, toward’) + thwart (“placed or situated across something else”). Cognates * Scots athort (“athwart”)

Words from the same roots